The Absquatulation of Harry Jenkins
by silverbootlegger
Summary: At one part of the multiverse, a powerful old wizard dies... in another, a child with his path laid by Fate was born... And later disappeared. What will the Wizarding World do with a hero who is not even interested in saving them? Reincarnation fic
1. Prologue

**I don't own Harry Potter, or Howl's Moving Castle. Truth.**

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><p>Love?<p>

People say that love is what makes the world go round.

Why is that?

Well, I believe it is the reason for everything.

Is it really? What if everyone is incapable of such thing?

Surely the world will break apart.

Do you believe so?

I know so. If I did not learn to love my world would have been torn to pieces right now.

For one who only recently got his heart back, you sure do put a lot of trust in this... "love".

Of course. Love is what saved me.

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><p>This is good bye now.<p>

Please don't leave me.

Do not worry. I am always with you.

I want to keep seeing you.

We will meet again.

I want to hold you.

You can hold me now.

I want to be with you longer.

It's time for me to find peace.

Our time...it's not enough. I haven't shown you everything yet.

You have shown me everything that you can, and given me all of you.

Please.

I love you, Howl.

I love you.

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><p>He watched the flowers grow around him. She had always loved these flowers. He laid his hands on the springy blades of grass, enjoying the refreshed feeling they gave him. He may be ancient now, but he had always appreciated the beauty of these botanical wonders. Despite his grey figure contrasting against the powerful vibrancy of the flowers he himself grew, his crooked smile shone brighter than all of them, as he breathed his last, his old soul escaping into the blowing wind.<p>

He awakened to a new world that welcomed him with the warmth of love, similar to that of a long forgotten starlight. Slender arms wrapped themselves around him, to protect him from this dangerous new destination. The heart that he once lost beat loudly against his chest, resonating with that of the warmth that surrounded him. He sighed, contented, and slipped into a faraway land, dreaming of the gentle caress of a silver light, the fiery support of a burning flame, and the grinning lips of a young boy.

Green lightning tore through his heart, taking its warmth away and leaving him cold and lifeless. The red sun had fallen, plunging his life into eternal darkness, and the inky emptiness of the sky swallowed his stars into its void. The dark waves that washed his worry had dried and turned into a barren dessert. A single spell had taken everything from him. Facing the end of the madman's stick, he cried.

"Avada Kedavra."

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><p>"...all your things, and don't come back!"<p>

The young boy grinned, holding a blanket around his shoulders, the only possession he has aside from the clothes he wore. For someone who was just kicked out of his only shelter, he was seemed too pleased with this development. In truth he had been trying to get kicked out for a long time. He had tried running away before, but for some reason, the Dursleys, the family that housed him, seemed very keen on taking him back, going as far as the police when he once tried living in a local recreation centre for a week. Finally, he was able to escape their clutches after pushing their buttons as far as he can without getting killed. He had burned food, spilled dirty water everywhere, accidentally murdered gardens, not dust for a whole month, and it turns out, what pushed the family over the edge is opening the presents of their son, one Dudley Dursley, and using them before the big oaf could.

Quickly turning on his heel, he sprinted out of the neighbourhood before the family changes their mind.

At that moment, roughly around eight o'clock in the morning, six years old Harry James Potter was finally free.

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><p><strong>This was a pretty short chapter. Hope you like tho. Pls review if you like<strong>


	2. Chapter 1: Repentance

**I don't own Harry Potter and Howl's Moving castle. Neither do I own Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent. **

**Shoutout to the wonderful Ari 347 for being my beta! Thank you!**

"Talking."  
>'Thinking'<br>(_"Past memories"_)

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><p>Harry spent the first few weeks of his new life snatching purses and begging. Living alone was harder than he thought, and being completely homeless any longer than necessary certainly wasn't appealing to him. He fully utilized his youth, something he was rather hesitant about ('Am I really just a seven-year old? I really don't feel like it') to get the attention of adults who easily fell for him. For a while, he wasn't sure what he was doing, but soon he came to realize that acting just came naturally to him. And so did running away, apparently. For a while, he was almost always caught reaching into unsuspecting victims' pockets, his hand wrenched painfully in vice-like grips. Within a split second, though, he always found himself far from where he had been, still holding his stolen goods, wrist stinging. Then he came to a conclusion. Magic was real. Harry felt a spark of hope ignite in his chest. Maybe he can survive living alone after all! Since then, whenever he was done begging or stealing for the day's meal, he would always walk in the deep depths of any near park and practice his abilities, teleporting being the only one he knew about.<p>

A few days later, he discovered avian transformation. The movie "The Fly" had just started showing just after his birthday, and even a year later it was still the talk of the town. 'Fly, huh,' Harry thought one evening, perched on a tree somewhere in St James's Park. Just before dusk he was able to see a few birds fly overhead. He smiled. "Yep. Fly." It took him a few days of physical pain to figure out how to actually start the process of "birdification". After a few tries, red feathers sprouted from the base of his neck and his forearms, signifying his successful progress. As soon as he was able to will himself to simply turn into a bird, the park became a rumored haunted landmark. He supposed he might have been too loud when the unbearable pain overtook him the first few times... Then people mentioned something about a fiery monster bird that attacked passersby.

One accident that showed him the undesirable result of magic and technology was when he nearly got hit by a car. He was about to pick the pocket of a rather unpleasant-looking woman that reminded him of his uncle carrying a nasty bulldog when a police officer spawned out of nowhere and grabbed his arm. Taken by surprise, Harry jumped away in a flash of teleportation away from the man... right into the middle of traffic. Panic driven by instinct, Harry shut his eyes, and in a split moment saw himself beside every single driver in the vicinity and reached to shut the car down with a simple turn of the key. He gasped and found himself in the middle of the road again, fortunately not crushed between glinting metal, but rather surrounded by it. There was chaos, people shouting at each other, horns blaring, some traffic enforcer struggling to yell over the crowd...and Harry quickly popped himself out of there and onto the tree he had been staying at for a couple of days. He missed by a meter and fell through the branches, landing with an "oof" on the solid ground. "That was too much action for a week," he coughed, brushing himself off. "I'll just beg for a while..."

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><p>After about five weeks of surviving on getting food using his starving child appearance, Harry plopped down on the stone seat in Leicester Square. Sighing, he dug his hands into the pockets of his stolen pants, feeling a lone £5 in one pocket and a handful of coins worth something like less than three pounds in the other. Staring at the numerous people walking around him, he began to feel a slight tinge of loneliness creep up to his head. 'I wonder,' he started to think. 'Should I have gone away? I know I'd always wanted to leave... But I wish I hadn't actually done it.'<p>

He sat there for a while, contemplating whether or not his decision was a mistake (something that a 7-year old would probably not bother doing) when he caught sight of a strangely dressed couple standing a little towards his left. Both were wearing black leather with silver spikes embedded on their shoulders, black shirts, and heavy eyeliner. The man's brown hair was unnaturally standing up on their own, no doubt gelled up (or cemented to stand rigidly atop his head) while the woman's blond tresses were slicked back. The man wore ripped jeans with his dark boots and the woman, who was shiver slightly in the night air, wore a denim skirt with ripped tights and gothic boots. Unlike other punks Harry had seen around however, these two stood up straight and relaxed, and had genuine smiles on their faces. They seemed to be completely unaware of their clothes, or high out of their minds enough to feel or show happiness. Then the woman spoke, voice high with a childish feel to it.

"Wow, we really hit the jackpot this time, didn't we, Isaac?"

"That we did Miria. Firo and Ennis are going to love our gift to them!"

The couple, who were clearly American, strolled past Harry. They were dressed too strangely for tourists, and acted too differently than other people who usually dressed themselves that way. It made Harry wonder if punk culture in America was that different from Britain.

"This is what they call striking gold, isn't it?"

"Exactly! We are the Gold Mine Minister Ōkubo of England! The pickax that strikes the ore of the Adams!"

"Amazing!"

Harry jumped. The Adams? They couldn't be talking about the newly formed highly dangerous Adams Family, could they? The young boy considered approaching them and asking them if they were seriously discussing a possibly true crime against a powerful organized criminal organization but decided against it. He was about to sit down when he noticed the couple frozen midstep, heads turned towards him.

"Isaac, what are we gonna do? I think we were heard!" The woman whispered loudly to her partner.

"Don't worry Miria, I'll handle this."

Harry gulped. He wanted nothing to do with these two. If what they had said was true, then interacting with them would only get him into more trouble than he already was. He looked both sides and then to the oncoming man, who looked like he was trying his hardest to look intimidating, but came off as rather comical. He was clearly unused to looking intimidating while wearing those clothes. Harry nearly rolled his eyes and did what he did best.

He bolted to the side and ran away, ignoring the man's loud protest.

Surprisingly, Harry met the duo again, but in less pleasant circumstances.

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><p>He cursed under his breath. Ever since he had fallen off his tree that morning, Harry knew it was going to be bad day for him. He nearly tore his new (stolen) clothes when he was about to change into his bird form, and he had barely been able to pick any full pockets lately. Not to mention, people are starting to take notice of him and approaching him, asking questions about his parents or guardians, something that he evaded as soon as he got the chance. He doesn't think his pride would let him throw himself into an orphanage, ever. Experiencing Dudley and his friends ruined his view on other kids (or people in general…actually growing up in Privet Drive ruined his view of people in general). He sorely missed fully functioning showers, and he was kicked out when he was caught sneaking into a nearby recreational swimming pool. He sighed dejectedly, walking into an alleyway. He distinctly remembered a pompous voice echoing in the back of his mind (<em>"I'm tired, make some hot water for my bath" "Not again"<em>) and thought deeply if Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon ever asked such a thing from him. A girlish scream broke his thoughts and he turned towards a corner leading deeper into an alleyway. Unable to contain his curiosity, he crept closer and peeked at what was happening. He stifled a gasp. It looked like those two might have done it after all. The couple he had seen days before were lying face down on the ground, arms each held back by an armed man. A lone man stood over the two, hands clasped on a white cane that stood straight from the ground. The two were dressed just as strangely as he first met them, clad in uniforms similar to those of the Queen's guards, only without the tall, fuzzy hat. This time, however, both wore fearful glares instead of cheery grins. The woman's shirt was torn, and the man holding her down held a knife on her throat.

"I'll ask you again," the man with the cane asked. "Where is the ship? If you answer 'America' one more time, her clothes won't be the only thing that knife will rip today."

"We are not lying!" the man cried. "It is in America!"

The woman gave a pained hiss. The man holding her slid the knife along her back, grinning mercilessly at the blood that spilled down her sides.

Harry felt rage boil within himself. Without another thought he transformed himself to his monstrous avian form and screeched towards the despicable men. It was mostly a blur to him, but he recalled some flashes of red, the feeling of warm liquid in his talons, and a quick sort of pain in three points of his body before he completely lost control and consciousness.

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><p>He awoke in a pleasantly comfortable bed, but feeling like utter shite. There was a continuous painful throb in his left arm and chest. Struggling to move, he craned his head to the side and saw the couple, fast asleep on each other's shoulders. He felt another painful throb in his chest, although it was oddly different from what he had been feeling before. He exhaled and fell back into sleep.<p>

He dreamt of a star engulfing him with her warm light and beautiful smile.

The next time he woke up, he was feeling only slightly better, and the couple were awake. Seeing that he had finally opened his eyes, the two pounced on him immediately, taking his hands and crying gratefully. It seemed too over the top, Harry thought to himself.

"Thank you! You really saved us back there; we would have died if you didn't save us!"

"Died painfully!"

"You really are a good person, and an even greater bird!"

"Zhu Que, right?"

What?

"We were really scared there too! We probably wouldn't have been able to help you to the hospital if you were still a bird. You turned back into a person though."

"Yeah, we didn't need to call the police to tell them about the dead people too! Everything was burning when we left, so people called the firemen already."

"It was amazing! It's the first time I've seen a Zhu Que before! Maybe it's an omen? We should go to China."

"Pay our respects for their brethren who saved us!"

"Wait. Wait. What are you saying?" Harry interrupted the couple's conversation. "What do you mean fire? And dead people?"

The couple rubbed their chin, completely mirroring each other. "You don't remember? You saved us by burning those guys up, but they shot at you," the man said. The woman nodded.

"We thought you might have died, but you were alive! It was miraculous! We carried you off here so that the doctors could examine you."

"It was difficult explaining it though…"

Harry's stomach plummeted after hearing that. He… He'd killed someone. He managed to lurch to the side before vomiting his stomach acids out. He was horrified. Tears sprang from his eyes, and he stayed there, bent on the side, knuckles gripping sheets tightly they almost tore. His ears rang painfully. Then he felt a gentle hand stroke his head.

(_"It's not so bad."_)

"Shh… it's okay…"

His hands eased up a bit, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He glanced at the woman petting him. He must have expected someone else, when he felt a slight tinge of disappointment in his chest. The man was gone, probably left to call a nurse. "I'm sorry…" he apologized.

"It's not your fault. You are a good child, helping us when we were in trouble."

He nearly scoffed. "I'm not good at all… I am a terrible cowardly person."

"No," the woman insisted. "You did something good, so you must be a good person!"

"I just killed someone!" He cried.

"To save us. And probably many other people too! If you haven't those people would have hurt many other people, not just us. So we, me and Isaac, think you are a good child!"

He dropped his head. "How will I live now? Knowing that I did that?"

"You can stay with us!" The man returned, bringing with him… a mop and a pail, instead of a nurse. He winked at Harry, holding the mop up. "I convinced the janitor to let me borrow this!"

Harry nearly smacked himself in the head. "You know you could have asked him for help, right? Or called a nurse."

The man paused for a moment. Then he continued as if Harry's question was irrelevant. "So what do you say?"

The woman nodded and turned to me. "Yeah, we are in a journey to atone for our sins!"

'If atonement means doing more crimes, I don't know if I could actually join these two…' But seeing their earnest grins directed at him, he felt a bit like a guardian giving permission to children wanting to play outside. He sighed and gave them a small smile.

"I suppose I'll have to repent with you… " Harry said, while thinking to himself, '…although it might just take my whole life to forgive myself.'

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><p><strong>Here's a longer chapter. Thank you for reading! I hope you lovely people enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated. <strong>


	3. Chapter 2: Paradise

**I don't own Harry Potter and Howl's Moving Castle. I also don't own Ronnie Schiatto and Ahri. If you know who they both are, cool.**

**Thank you once again, to the awesome Ari 347 for being my beta.**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_"Past memories"_

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><p>Hermione Jean Granger angrily wiped tears off her face. She gave a small cough, and rubbed her cheeks in an effort of preventing the biting cold from seeping further into her skin. It was a cold Christmas, even more so inside her house, the reason why she ran away from home. 'It's not even home anymore, it's more like a chaotic courtroom,' she thought. Her parents were quarrelling again, never letting down to let each other explain. How could they stop? They never bothered listening to each other, or even to her. 'How did it even come to this?'<p>

"You look like you're in a troublesome predicament."

She glanced up, wet brown eyes meeting glassy emerald ones. She was taken aback by the look on his face. The boy had an easy-going smile plastered on, and relaxed eyebrows that gave nothing away. He had dark wavy hair that cleared his face rather than make him look pale. She remembered her classmates in school and how they were in contrast this boy that stood in front of her at that moment. Those boys she disliked were avoided because of their innate childishness and the irritation they gave her. This boy in front of here made her feel like she was looking at something too strange and too mysterious to be approached. Compared to those classmates of hers, this boy almost seemed lifeless, like a puppet, or a doll.

"It is none of your concern," she said. Blowing warmth into her palms, she stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait," the boy called out. She paused to look at him.

"What?"

"I need your help."

Help? What kind of help would a little runaway be able to provide?

"You see, I'm looking for a home."

"A home? I can find the house for you if you have the address," Hermione nodded over to the street.

The boy shoved his hands down his pockets, a mischievous glint flashing in his glassy eyes. His smile widened, and he laughed. "I am looking for a specific home, not a building."

She tilted her head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I am looking for a place where I can smile my truest smile, laugh in spite of everyday suffering, and live; far from the distress the world offers." Her eyes widened but her eyebrows lifted themselves in disbelief. Perhaps this boy might a bit too delirious at the moment. What kind of person talks about an impossible place to a little girl, a stranger?

"I am looking for paradise," he threw his arms out wide, as if to emphasize his point. He looked like a child waiting for snow to fall upon his cheek. It was only at that moment that Hermione realized she was looking at another child the same age as her, not some mad man.

"Well, I hope you find paradise," she said, and turned to leave. "Because you won't find it here."

She shuffled away, unaware of the boy's eyes trailing after her.

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><p>1987<p>

"So this is the Pacific Wizarding World?" Harry mused, eyes wandering around in wonder. Beside him, the man named Ronnie chuckled beside him. The cold winter air brushed past the boy, but it did nothing to hinder his curiosity. Amidst the snow-capped stores, Harry immediately gravitated towards the nearest shop, a sort of charm and amulet store. That is, until he caught sight of a magical pet store just beside it. And a nearby magical food bazaar the street across it.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet, lad." The suited man tapped Harry in the shoulder and pointed over the rooftops. A giant tree floated over the town, and he could see small specks of something circling it, or flying up and down.

"We can window shop right now, get money, then buy what you want. Or we can get the money right now, enjoy the view, and buy everything that you want."

Harry cracked a smile and nodded. Then he held Ronnie's hand. "Is it okay if we go my way?"

At the older man's nod, the boy scrunched his eyes and jumped. He held on the older man's arm tightly, extended his legs, and started walking. Matching steps, the two grinned at each other and made their way through the clouds, to the bank. Harry can't help but stare in wonder at the magnificent tree holding its space, unmoving.

"Is that really a bank?" The boy asked. Ronnie nodded. "Ul Laput Banking. It originally belonged to a royal family of a great kingdom. It disappeared for about a few hundred years until it returned and became part of this city's attraction, as well a source of power."

"Source of power?"

"Do you see its roots?" Drawing nearer to the tree suspended in air, the younger boy could make out a faint golden light penetrate through the massive writhing roots.

"Encased in there is the key. Once in a while, if the city is in great need, they draw a small amount of power from the key to help them get back up on their feet."

"Once in a while? Anyone can use it?"

"Of course not. It is mostly in the hands of the Advisors, the people who manage the bank. They never let politicians, other royals, or civilians lay even one hand on it. They are also the only ones who know if the key is needed. Whenever they choose to draw power, they always are spot on with their choice."

"I see..."

The floating tree, which looked more like a small island now, was only a half a kilometre from where they were but the tree towered over the two. Harry noted that the specks he had seen earlier were actually people flying around in what looked like the magical equivalent of a non-magical elevator. He willed himself higher, until he was level with the walkways at the edge of the tree. He skipped and landed smoothly on the ancient but sturdy path. He noted a small mark in only one of the walls beside him, but shrugged it off when Ronnie urged him forward.

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><p>1989<p>

It was almost the 25th, Hermione could tell. She slumped on the swing, letting the seat sway on its own. She strained to listen to any commotion that might be going in the streets but so far only silence answered. She had taken to simply returning to the street where her house was and jumping the fence to a neighbour's backyard. She waited there wondering if they would ever find her, or if they actually even realized she was gone. Where would they look for her? School. School would probably be a good place to start, but they would be wrong. Hermione hated school just as much as she hated seeing her parents fight. The other kids were never nice to her, and in actuality she actually kind of found them a little gross, picking their noses, not washing their hands, eating without proper etiquette...

_You see, I'm looking for a home._

The library might also be a choice. She loved the library. She liked books and learning, and her parents knew that if she wasn't home, or if she wasn't in school, she was always in the library. But they underestimated her. Adults always underestimate younger kids. "Are you sure you prefer this over a picture book?" and "Aren't you a little too young to be reading this kind of book?" had never been so annoying.

_I am looking for a place where I can smile my truest smile..._

They would probably check the dance studio next. They wouldn't find her there. She wasn't even that good at dancing. Her parents applied her only to get her out of their way, acting like they are proud of her even though she knew that deep down, it didn't really matter.

_Laugh in spite of everyday suffering..._

She kicked the dirt, rattling the squeaky chains on the swing. The neighbour that lived in the house she was at was out of the country, possibly in America or Australia. She didn't bother masking the noise she was making. Catching glimpses of lighted windows, she could see people celebrating, cheering, singing for each other. She stopped kicking; just letting the soles of her feet drag slightly on the ground. She would't be heard anyways.

_And live, far from the distress the world offers._

Finally letting tears fall from her eyes, she sniffled, wondering if she actually wanted to be found, even though she was hiding. Inwardly, she scolded herself of being such a child, and a smaller voice in her head agreed, that yes, she is still a child. Why did her parents have to fight all the time? When did they even start? Were they going to keep on going like this, or were they going to realize that fighting was futile in this situation and just end it with either leaving, or making up?

"I'm looking for paradise."

Suddenly he was there again, sitting as casually as if it was an everyday position for him to sit on top of the neighbour's fence. His cheeks and nose were rosy from the cold, and she had no doubt she probably looked colder than him. He hopped and floated down, his hair and clothes floating as if he was held by a gentle wind. She watched him as he walked towards her, easygoing smile on his face and an unnatural green light reflected behind his glassy eyes. He stopped short in front of her and offered his hand.

"Would you like to join me?"

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><p>1987<p>

"It is time you paid your dues to me."

The dark-haired woman levelled her gaze on the green-eyed boy staring back at her. He had the gall to look straight at her, he just earned her respect. She breathed in from her pipe and breathed out, the smoke clouding her unearthly beautiful face.

"What do you want me to do, Ronnie Schiatto?"

"Ahri." The demon known as Ronnie gently pushed the little green eyed boy forward a sharp smile gracing his lips. Raising an eyebrow, the woman rose from her resting place, and glided towards the demon. Laying a slender hand down the side of his face, she leans in and whispers.

"You care about humans far too much than you should, Ronnie Schiatto." She pulled back and leapt to the side, transforming into a fox midair. The fox bounded in a circle and turned to face the duo. There was a spike of suffocating power and eight extra tails sprouted beside the fox's tail. Ronnie squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Make him strong."

"Fine." The fox nodded, tails swishing against a wind that was not there. Ronnie exchanges smiles with the boy, and he was gone.

"Follow me, boy." The nine-tailed fox ordered.

The boy with the unwavering eyes took a step towards her. "Wait," she paused. "What's your name?"

He smiled. "Harry. Harry Jenkins."

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><p>1988<p>

"Strength comes in different forms," Ahri said, before taking a bite off her food. Ahri decided that Harry needed actual human contact every once in a while. So every other Friday, the two would go around the nearest town and would eat out in the regular world. That afternoon, the gumiho chose a small cafe that was a usual hangout for students of the nearby high school. The two garnered strange looks as Ahri was a rather beautiful woman, while Harry was a little foreigner boy, an unfamiliar duo the town hadn't seen before. Harry nodded. "Physical, mental, emotional, right?"

"Those are just scratches in the surface. A person can be physically or intellectually strong, but can be a bad judge of character that might lead them to their downfall. Similar can be said if a person cannot make allies easily, that will not be able to grow any more. Some people may also have amazing instinctual sense, but are unable to control one's self emotionally," she sipped her cup of tea. Her eyes trailed around, glancing at the people around, before landing on Harry. "But there is one factor that can bring out one's strength."

The little boy unconsciously leaned in, eager to hear what his teacher had to say.

"I'll show you after we finish eating."

The moment Harry stepped in the clearing, he felt it. He threw himself to the side, gasping. He looked incredulously at his teacher, who was in her battle stance, with a glowing orb formed on her palm, ready to inflict pain. Two more orbs materialized and rotated around her. Her tails sprouted to existence and her eyes glowed. Knowing what was about come, Harry jumped up and leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding an orb by leaning back. He could almost feel burning hatred powering up the orb when it passed by him and tried to hit him on its way back to Ahri's palm. Hesitating a bit, he formed his own orb, a dwarf compared to his teacher's. He saw her grin, a wild animalistic grin that twisted her face to that of what she truly was: a powerful monster. Then she was gone.

That time, Harry was not able to dodge. A painful force ripped through his stomach to his back, and returned the same way. He coughed, blood splattering out of his mouth. He saw a flash of white on his left, but it was too late. Ahri appeared just beside him and delivered a bone-shattering kick to his side. He pitifully threw his orb at her, but was too slow. One last flash, and she stood directly in front of where he struggled to keep his knees from buckling. A sudden glow engulfed her, even outshining the available light at the clearing and nearly blinding him. She formed a hand sign, and leaped, gathering almost all energy that she is capable of, and blasted it.

Directly at him.

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><p>1989<p>

"Merry Christmas!"

Hermione gaped, openmouthed at the sheer amount of people in the glade. She looked behind her, an open door that still showed the dark empty street of London, then back at the sunny meadow.

She took his hand, back at that house. She took one look at the boy's eyes, one that spoke of emptiness and apathy, suddenly glow with lively mirth and a sense of adventure. He pulled her up and led her around the neighbourhood until they reached the area's convenience store. Hermione distinctly remembered all the times when her parents would often take her there to pick a flavour of ice cream. She sighed and turned to the other boy.

"What exactly are we doing here?" Hermione asked. Harry just tugged on her arm to follow him. The two kids slipped towards the back door, the girl wondering if the cashier knew who Harry was, just letting him in there. They walked far deeper into the back of the store and into a darkened alleyway. She was about to voice her complaint about not being able to see when a warm glow lighted the alley. She turned to Harry and saw flickering fire in the boy's hand and squeaked.

"Y-y-your hand!"

"Neat, isn't it? It took me a long time to master this trick," Harry chuckled, taking something out of his pocket with the other hand. It was a doorknob. A little frightened, but more fascinated, Hermione took a step closer and saw that Harry had simply stuck the knob on the alley wall and twisted. A glowing line formed a rectangle on the wall and opened, leaving Hermione even more baffled than before. Light slipped in to the dark alley and the boy extinguished the fire in his hand just by shaking it off. He entered through the doorway and turned back at her. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, amused by her wariness. She gulped and followed him, taking small steps forward.

A sunny meadow greeted her, with the sight of beautiful flowers swaying lightly against the wind. Far off, she can see a clear blue lake, reflecting the blue sky within its waters. There was already a group in there, most of them in suits, and a few in regular casual clothing. She spied a couple had back of the crowd dancing merrily with flowers weaved around their heads. They wore matching Hungarian folk clothes ('Why?' Hermione thought while watching the couple frolic around) and seem content on living their own world. A table was set up in the middle, with varying foods set on it. There were quite a number of blankets strewn around, some people laying or sitting on them, simply conversing.

A few people spotted them and waved, yelling, "Merry Christmas!" or "Hey, it's Harry!"

"Took you long enough, Jenkins," a sultry voice commented behind them. Hermione turned and saw an Asian woman with whisker marks on her cheeks. She wore an elaborate red Chinese dress, and Hermione can't help but stare at the fluffy black ears that twitched at the top of the woman's head. And also her chest, that almost spills out of her dress. "And you brought a girl with you too. How unexpected."

"This is..." He paused and looked at Hermione. She realized that they had yet to introduce each other. Well she knew who the boy was now.

"Hermione. Hermione Granger."

"Yes, that's her name," Harry nodded. "I invited her to my journey." The woman nodded. "I see."

The woman looked over the crowd and urged him forward. "Go. It looks like some people had been missing you."

Hermione followed the woman's eyes and saw the couple from earlier jumping up and down, gesturing wildly for Harry to join them. She can't help but giggle, and joined Harry as he walked on towards the couple.

Well, she decided. She might as well enjoy herself while she's here. In paradise.

* * *

><p>1987<p>

It dissipated before it could reach him. Finally losing all feeling in his leg, he dropped on his backside, pale and shuddering. It was the first time he had seen his teacher like that. He knew what she was, and while he was well aware of the extent of her power, he never knew how she can affect him just like that.

She stepped closer to him, tails swishing behind her. He struggled to keep his instinct to flee under his control, and stared blankly at her shoes, still trembling.

"I was barely using 1% of my power, Jenkins. Is your performance today the way you would act if I actually would have come after you?" Seeing the look on his face, she squatted down and eyed him. "I know that face. 'But you're my teacher, you wouldn't actually kill me,' face. You don't actually know, Jenkins. You know next to nothing about me, and simply assuming things can cause grave consequences. Do you understand?" At his quiet nod, she reached over and touched his cheek. He flinched slightly, but slowly brought his eyes up to meet hers. She took something out of her pocket and handed it to Harry. It was a healing potion. The downed boy gratefully down the potion and wiped his mouth.

"Do you know what I just showed you? It's the beginning of people's strength." The boy mulled over it for a moment, finally going back to his normal self. "Is it..." he paused. "Is it fear?"

She nodded. "It is. Fear is what people have that motivates them." She straightened up and ushered Harry to follow her, going through their daily exercise. "Fear of losing someone beloved can be a huge motivator. It's actually quite common. Many people will do whatever it takes to protect someone they care about."

She stretched her arms behind her clasping her fingers together and pushing back on them. Harry followed suit. "People also often fear not having guarantee of what they want. Someone rich probably fears ever becoming poor, so they spend their time trying to earn even more money than they need."

She breathed in and reached for her toes. "Fear is something you don't have. You did not attack me because you don't think I would actually kill you. You didn't fear me, so you did not give your all to protect yourself."

She straightened up and faced Harry. Reaching to his chest, she closed her eyes and murmured. A slight dull pain throbbed in Harry, then a feel of emptiness. Ahri withdrew her hand, and a burning shape floated out of his chest. Harry watched, amazed as Ahri levitated the thing just in front of him.

"This is your heart, Jenkins."

Harry gasped in awe and held the beating organ. Ahri smiled, and pet his head. "Now Jenkins," she started. "I have a challenge for you."

He glanced questioningly at her. "What is it?"

"I'll ask you first, do you accept?"

An unfamiliar feeling welled in Harry. He frowned and hesitated. "...Okay."

"You can have your heart," she said. "But you cannot put it back. Only I can do that."

"What?" Harry asked, horrified.

"I'm not finished yet. I will put it back, but only after you find your greatest fear, and overcome it with your power. Then, you can come back to me, you can show me your resolve, and I will put your heart back where it belongs."

"What if I can't find it? What if I will never get my heart back?"

"You will," she reassured him. "It might take a long time, but you will find it. I will wait. I have been waiting for thousands of years, a few mortal lifetimes won't make a difference."

Closing his hands around his heart, he bowed his head. Feeling the organ pump in his hand, a sliver of warmth crept through Harry's cold insides. He smiled and met eyes with his teacher. Feeling a tiny bit of hope and a dash of courage, he said, "I won't let you down, seonsangnim!"

* * *

><p>1989<p>

When she woke back up again, Hermione was back in her room, tucked neatly under the covers. She scrambled up and ran down the stairs of her house. There was no one home. She sighed in disappointment, and sat on the couch, sighing. A glint of metal caught her eye, and she lifted her wrist, staring in awe at the teardrop shaped gem that hung from a finely crafted bracelet around her wrist. The emerald color reminded her of her experience the night earlier, and she laughed aloud. Maybe she is not as alone as she thought she was after all.

Later she would find a letter in her desk, and a small doorknob beside it.

* * *

><p><strong>Here's another chapter. Thank you for reading, y'all lovey humans readers. I like you all. I also like reviews. *wink wink* *nudge nudge*<strong>


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